The present disclosure relates to silver ion-releasing articles. More specifically the present disclosure relates to silver ion releasing chromonic articles and methods of making the same.
Silver is known for its antimicrobial activity. The Greeks and the Romans used silver lined water vessels to purify water. Silver nitrate was used over 100 years ago as an antimicrobial treatment for burn wounds. In the 1960's silver sulfadiazine cream replaced silver nitrate as an antimicrobial treatment for burn wounds. It is believed that the antimicrobial action of silver is due at least in part, to free silver ions or radicals, where the silver ions kill microbes by blocking the cell respiration pathway, by attaching to the cell DNA and preventing its replication, and by disruption of the cell membrane.
It is believed that wounds heal better in a moist environment. However, keeping wounds moist can cause bacterial proliferation in the wound bed. One way to combat wound infection is through the use of antibiotics. However, the systematic use of antibiotics to prevent wound infection is discouraged due to concerns of the generation of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Many silver compounds, such as silver nitrate, are very soluble in a moist environment and oxidize rapidly, thereby staining skin and providing only short term antimicrobial activity. There is a need for a broad-spectrum sustained release antimicrobial wound dressing for the treatment of chronic wounds.